A Bombardier Airbus assembly plant is shown in Mirabel, Que., Friday, October 26, 2018.Photo by Graham Hughes/ THE CANADIAN PRESS

After months of negotiations to renew collective agreements, thousands of unionized of Bombardier and the company controlled by Airbus building the A220 aircraft in Mirabel, met Saturday at the Palais des congrès to vote on new offers from their employer.

The first of two assemblies, about 3,200 Bombardier employees working on the CRJ aircraft program in Mirabel, Dorval and Saint-Laurent, voted 66 per cent in favour of a contract that runs until Dec. 3, 2021.

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At the second meeting hours later, about 1,000 workers building the A220, formerly known as the C Series, voted 73 per cent against the deal and immediately called for a new vote on a strike mandate, which they approved with a vote of 98.6 per cent in favour.

The two groups voted separately because the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers negotiated simultaneously with Bombardier and the the Airbus subsidiary. Since Airbus took control of the commercialization of this aircraft, the employees working on it no longer work exclusively for Bombardier.

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Workers said the offer of a salary increase of two per cent per year over three years does not meet cost of living increases.

But the union said it felt the offer was good, protecting pension plans and ensuring job security. It recommended the members accept the offer. It also said the offer includes a new factory for “pre-FAL” (for “final assembly line”) work, which would create 150 to 300 additional jobs in Mirabel.

Both groups of workers had been without a contract since Nov. 30.

In a statement, the company behind the Airbus A220 said it was disappointed in the decision, but will work “in close collaboration with the union leadership to find a solution.”